The Mech Touch

Ketis Larkinson underwent a complete metamorphosis after her incredibly stellar breakthrough at the First Sword Arena.

Most people thought that she had become a very talented swordmaster, but no one knew that she had also experienced a breakthrough as a mech designer.

It was difficult for other people to recognize a high-ranking mech designer due to their lack of spiritual sensitivity. Even Ketis was only a little better off in this regard due to her unique quirks.

When Ketis woke up a few days after releasing her excess energy, she immediately knew she had become a different human being.

The best way to describe it was that she had become greater than the average human. Whenever she was in the company of other people like her fellow Swordmaidens, a sense of superiority and alienation welled up inside her heart.

Deep within her bones, she recognized the truth that she had risen above them. Not even Commander Sendra, who she used to look up to as the third-generation leader of the Swordmaiden, held as much sway to her anymore!

In fact, as Ketis quickly recovered and became accustomed to her vastly-expanded capabilities, her behavior and thought patterns had undergone a drastic shift.

As a proud swordmaster and ambitious Journeyman, it was impossible for her to act like a follower again!

Her incredible strength introduced a sense of superiority in her. She became addicted to making other Swordmaidens look up to her as if she was an idol. Her will and intellect had grown so much that every action and word from her possessed a distinct charm that clearly marked her out as a demigod!

"I can accept the allegiance of other fallen sword schools, but their heritage must be of value to the Swordmaidens."

"The recruitment of mech designers is not our purview. The Larkinson Patriarch is in charge of the LMC's Design Department. Its staffing is under his arrangement."

"We won't accept any alliances. We'll be leaving soon, so the friendship of fellow swordmasters and established sword schools is irrelevant. We can take care of our own."

"We can use our own money to procure the extra mechs and starships we need to accommodate our new recruits. Don't accept any favors or discounts. Just buy what we need at market price. With my identity, the sellers won't dare to delay the transactions."

As Ketis began to exercise her authority, Venerable Dise carefully observed the new swordmaster for a few days.

Eventually, the expert pilot couldn't remain passive anymore. She invited Ketis to a small room and held a private discussion.

"Ketis."

"Yes, Dise?"

Although Ketis still respected the first expert pilot of the Swordmaidens, her demeanor had changed. She was finally able to face Dise as an equal!

The strong force of will that radiated from her body did not lose out that much against Dise's more restrained presence. Ketis' only shortcoming was that she had broken through later and was further behind the curve.

"Have you looked at yourself?"

"I have. What about it?" Ketis furrowed her brows.

Dise sighed. "I know it feels great for you to become the woman you have always wanted to be, but do you really need to throw away everything that defines the old you? Your past self wouldn't be able to recognize your current self!"

"Is there something wrong with that?" Ketis defensively replied while crossing her arms. "I have shed my weakness. I can finally stand on an equal basis in front of you and Ves. Isn't that great? I'm not the kid I used to be. I've grown up now. With my new capabilities, I can contribute much more to our fellow sisters."

Although she was right, Dise still felt uncomfortable about the sudden swing.

"I'm not suggesting that it is bad for you to change, but your shift is too extreme. I have observed you long enough to ascertain that you have lost something in the process of your evolution. If you continue to act this way, then I'm afraid that this quality will be forever out of your reach."

Ketis may have changed a lot, but she was also a clever woman. She did not think that Venerable Dise was messing with her. "What is the quality that you are talking about?"

"Compassion." Venerable Dise placed her palm on her heart. "Look, when I broke through, I experienced a rush quite like yours. However, I also had a lot of help who made sure I became more grounded. Look at yourself now. Are you treating your fellow Swordmaidens as sisters and comrades, or are you treating them like pawns and underlings?"

Ketis' force of will grew a bit unstable as she reflected on herself. Despite her stubbornness, she did recognize that her change in attitude was a bit drastic.

As she reflected on how she acted since she recovered, she realized that she was unconsciously modeling her behavior after Ves. To her, the mech designer she admired for several years had always served as a successful example.

Now that she finally managed to close the gap, she automatically assumed she was qualified to take charge in the same way!

Though she did not see any problem with this at first, now that Venerable Dise brought this matter to her attention, Ketis could not remain ignorant.

"Maybe I have changed a bit too much…"

Diagnosing the problem wasn't difficult, but fixing it was another thing. Ketis had fully awakened her unyielding spirit now. The inferiority complex that she had developed after being in the shadow of so many great figures had haunted her for a long time. She felt now that she was able to extinguish it from existence. How could she ever go back?

She talked frankly with Venerable Dise about this issue. The latter had already tempered her mentality to a large extent but there was only so much advice she could give.

"From my experience, every expert pilot is different." Venerable Dise said. "I am in frequent contact with the other expert pilots of the Larkinson Clan, and they all have their different quirks. Right now, I feel you are resembling Venerable Jannzi a little too much. Just like you, her personality swing was also on the extreme end. While I consider her a friend and battle comrade, she has become a bit too dedicated to her goal."

"Is that a bad thing?" Ketis sat down and asked. "Dedication is great. It keeps us on the right track."

"You're not wrong, but I don't want you to go too far to the point of forgetting about what you used to care about. There is more to life than designing mechs and improving your swordsmanship. During the past few days, how much time did you spend on thinking about your relationship with Venerable Joshua?"

"…"

Dise sighed. "Thought so. Just because you have become more than human doesn't mean you have to discard everything that isn't directly related to your pursuits. You need something to ground yourself and remind you what you are truly fighting for. The swordmasters that I've spoken to all agree on this. The Heavensword Association doesn't want to raise sword maniacs who have shed aside all of their morality, humanity and compassion in order to attain pure power. The result of this will only lead to uncontrollable weapons that can easily go astray."

Control was of paramount importance to the Swordmaidens. It was very easy to lose control of a long and heavy weapon like a greatsword. This was why each of them had to drill over and over again in order to minimize the occurrence of dangerous accidents.

Ketis felt as if she had become a young teenager again who finally received the chance to pick up a greatsword for the first time.

Back then, the weapon was so heavy that she barely managed to swing it a few times before having to put it down!

Was she having similar problems with her new strength as a swordmaster? Her will had become a lot more powerful, so much so that it clouded all of her thinking.

While she undoubtedly felt that she could continue to advance her swordsmanship by leaps and bounds if she channeled her highly-motivating will, it was not necessary for her to think like this all of the time!

When Venerable Dise left in order to give the newly-advanced swordmaster some space, Ketis frowned.

The source of her permanent new state came from Sharpie. Somehow, her living sword intent changed from a tiny companion into a formidable dragon in her mind. It not only intertwined with her mind and will to a greater degree, but also produced so much power that Ketis felt that she could easily defeat every sword initiate regardless of their tricks!

Yet did she need all of this power at this time? There was no opponent for her to beat. There was no threat for her to overcome.

Was there a way for her to repress or reduce her source of strength?

"Sharpie."

Swish swish?

"Can you tone it down a bit? I love that you have grown up so much, but you're affecting me a bit too much."

Swish…

It turned out that Sharpie couldn't repress itself. Any swordmaster's will was indomitable. They weren't meant to be hidden! This was especially the case with Ketis, who had broken through after recognizing her desire to stand out and become the best in her professions!

Several minutes passed as Ketis tried out several different solutions. Nothing worked. It wasn't until her eyes fell onto Bloodsinger that she started to have some ideas.

Bloodsinger was the definitive name for the CFA greatsword that had accompanied her throughout her adventures in recent times. Ketis wasn't sure why she settled on this name in particular, but just thinking about it increased her resonance with her blade.

The sword sang to her when she resonated with it, and the blade had already spilled a copious amount of blood. Therefore, the name Bloodsinger truly fit her trusty weapon.

At the moment, Bloodsinger rested in its floating sheath and followed her around like an obedient puppy.

"Hmm. Maybe you can become something more. Sharpie, can you move out of my mind and stay inside Bloodsinger for a while?"

Swish swish!

Sharpie had already left her mind in order to inhabit other swords in the past. This was not a new activity.

This time was different, though.

As soon as Sharpie left her mind with difficulty, his strong and radiant presence became very palpable to Ketis!

A large void emerged in her mind as she immediately felt as if she had lost a lot of intensity. As she tried to get accustomed to her weaker and less determined state, Sharpie effortlessly darted inside Bloodsinger and began to merge with the weapon.

Ves modeled Sharpie after the CFA greatsword to begin with, so the compatibility between the two was pretty much perfect!

Though Ketis did not observe any visual changes from her blade, her mind sensed as if her sword had come alive in a way that she had never experienced before!

A connection still existed between Ketis and Sharpie, but their separation had caused the feedback to become a lot weaker. She already felt more clear minded and subdued.

She carefully reached out and unsheathed her greatsword.

Familiar strength flowed back into her. The will that she had previously parted with flowed back into her body. There were no barriers in the way. The only difference was that the increased distance caused Ketis to become less affected by this influence.

"This… can work."

As she continued to hold her greatsword, she intuitively sensed that it had become a lot greater. She did not dare to swing her weapon in her office.

After she returned her weapon to her sheathe, she made up her mind to stuff Sharpie inside Bloodsinger most of the time.

"I'm much more personable now." She guessed. "I feel more free when I think about mech designs as well. Maybe it's not a good idea to be too narrow-minded."